


Drunken Words Are Sober Thoughts

by SnailAggression



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Drinking, F/F, Femslash, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25427377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailAggression/pseuds/SnailAggression
Summary: Of course she knew when it was handed to her that it had alcohol.  Gods, she probably would’ve refused it if there wasn’t any.  Ty Lee didn’t usually seek out booze, but tonight she really needed it.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 107





	Drunken Words Are Sober Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know the title is cliche, just bear with me! This fic idea just randomly popped in my head the other night and ended up kind of writing itself. It was originally just going to be some older teen tyzula drabbles but it evolved into a little more than that. I wanted to challenge myself with some post-show content, and fair warning, I strayed from the comic canon a wee bit. Enjoy!

Ty Lee was drunk.

No, she wasn’t tipsy. She hadn’t had one too many fruity cocktails on an empty stomach. She was completely and utterly blitzed.

‘Fire juice’, she had heard someone call it as she was handed a glass. She hadn’t known what kind of alcohol was in it, but now her hazy mind could only think of one word to describe it.

“Poison,” She slurred out. “Whatever’s in that, it’s…...poison.”

Of course she knew when it was handed to her that it had alcohol. Gods, she probably would’ve refused it if there wasn’t any. Ty Lee didn’t usually seek out booze, but tonight she really needed it.

Tonight was her 18th birthday. Normally she shared a party with her six identical sisters, but they were unavailable because their current circus stint required them to travel all over the Earth Kingdom. For the first time, Ty Lee felt like she had a night solely celebrating  _ her _ .

Things started out just fine. Great, even. Firelord Zuko had rented out a large cabin on Ember Island for the party. He’d sent several royal attendants to set the place up, and they spared no expense: the cabin had tables filled with food and drinks, a dance floor, musicians, and an open bar out on the back patio.

Zuko encouraged Ty Lee to invite as many guests as she wanted - it was her party, after all - and that if there was overflow, they could go down to a private section of the beach to continue the party. Ty Lee was endlessly grateful for his generosity, and she thanked him every time she saw him in the days leading up to the event (even though he started feeling pretty awkward about receiving so much praise).

Her 18th birthday. Finally, an adult in the eyes of the Fire Nation. She knew so many kids who had anxiously awaited their 18th birthday so they could (legally) go wild. 18th birthday parties were notorious for getting out of control, but most adults saw it as a child’s last chance to get a little crazy before entering the “real world”.

Ty Lee wasn’t usually the type to get too wild, though. Sure, she’d had her share of drinks and raunchy party games, but that was normal Fire Nation teen behavior. Most Fire Nation kids had played a few rounds of spin the bottle by the time they turned 15, Ty Lee included. However, she didn’t actively seek out parties all the time. She was social, but some nights she didn’t want to go to another huge party that ended in some degree of arson, or a casual get-together that ended in taking some poor soul to the nearest hospital. Sometimes she was in the mood for the highly-competitive Pai Sho nights the Kyoshi Warriors held. Other evenings she was content to sit and praise Azula on remastering some firebending trick she used to know while Mai snuck off to make out with Zuko.

Azula.

The name drifted through her mind despite the alcohol clouding her brain. Ty Lee lifted her head from the table long enough to send another round of fire juice down her burning throat. She coughed as it went down, but she was definitely more used to it now than before. Earlier she had coughed and gagged, eyes watering as she swallowed the first shot. Now the feeling faded to a dull ache as it sloshed through her system.

She looked around the main room. The party was still going strong; there were plenty of people on the dance floor, but only several were sober enough to stay upright. Except for Suki who, despite having had almost as many shots as Ty Lee, was  _ still _ the best dancer out on the floor. She had unmatched talent. Ty Lee briefly wondered why she hadn’t taken a career in dancing, but the thought vanished as the alcohol tightened its grip on her mind.

Mai and Zuko were nowhere to be found. Probably making out, as usual. She didn’t blame them. That sounded like a nice thing to be doing right now, honestly. She giggled as she recalled the one time she walked in on an impromptu makeout session. She’d never seen Mai’s face turn such a color! Zuko had just pointed and shouted at her to leave, but she didn’t take it personally since the shade of his face matched Mai’s perfectly.

Ty Lee shook herself and tried to stand up, but since the room was spinning she decided it wasn’t a great idea.

She had only been drunk a handful of times, but those times were all the result of drinking games or friendly peer pressure. This time was different. This time, Ty Lee had chosen to get drunk. She  _ wanted _ to be drunk. Anything to help her forget about this party.

The acrobat had to admit, it was a great party. Everything should have been perfect. She had been having a great time with her friends.

Those that showed up, anyway.

Almost everyone on her invitation list had shown up. Even though he had done most of the planning she hadn’t expected Zuko to be able to make it, but he did! He and Mai had strolled up, fashionably late. They gave their greetings and birthday wishes, hugs were shared (even though certain people really didn’t like hugs too much), and carefully wrapped gifts were placed on a special table in a back room.

_ Almost  _ everyone.

Through her drunken haze Ty Lee remembered asking Zuko where Azula was. He looked away and Mai ended up answering for him. “She said she wasn’t up for it tonight,” Mai said.

Ty Lee’s signature grin never faded. “That’s okay, I understand if she’s not ready. I’ll go see her tomorrow and we can have our own little party so she doesn’t miss out on the celebration!”

Mai nodded and Zuko gave Ty Lee a sad smile. She knew he pitied her. It wasn’t the first time he’d given her such a look. Many times in the past couple years, he had shot her that look of pity. It always related to Azula. It always had to do with the determined attitude she had when it came to helping Azula.

\------------------------------

It had been two years since Azula had been released from the asylum. She had gone through extensive therapy there, and she seemed to be doing somewhat better. Even then, she had setbacks. Some nights were worse than others. Some nights she woke up screaming and Ty Lee couldn’t get her to stop no matter what she tried. She would scream until her voice was hoarse. Sometimes she screamed at Ty Lee to leave. “Traitor!” She would cry until Ty Lee backed out of the room. Despite the fact Ty Lee primarily took care of the princess, Azula hardly spoke to her.

Other nights it wasn’t just screaming; sometimes she thrashed about. The one night she smacked a porcelain bowl across the room and shattered her mirror, Ty Lee knew she couldn’t be left alone so she begged Zuko to let her stay with her. Although he refused to let Ty Lee watch over her at night, he put a royal attendant on the job. Ty Lee started checking Azula’s skin for cuts and burns daily after that incident.

Six months after her release from the asylum, Azula finally opened up to Ty Lee. After six long months of endless patience and near-constant care, Ty Lee felt like she was making progress. One night, Azula had asked her to come stay in her room with her. “Every time I fall asleep, she’s there,” Azula whispered, eyes darting wildly around the room.  _ Ursa, _ Ty Lee thought. Most of the time Azula was able to stay lucid, but some nights her mother plagued her thoughts and her dreams as she had in the asylum.

Ty Lee had gotten really good at noticing when Azula’s mind started to slip, and she learned how to handle it best. Sometimes there wasn’t a best, only a better, but anything helped.

Ten months after her release, Azula touched Ty Lee. It wasn’t unusual for Ty Lee to hold Azula until she calmed down, or even to hold her down until she was in control again. Only three times had ever it been so bad that Ty Lee needed to chi block Azula again. She didn’t like doing it to her because she knew it caused old wounds to resurface. Memories of the Boiling Rock incident flooded their minds and neither Ty Lee nor Azula liked the reminder.

But no, Azula had voluntarily touched Ty Lee. She was completely in control at the moment, Ty Lee could tell. The princess had reached out, hand trembling visibly, to squeeze Ty Lee's hand tight. "I need something grounding, something grounding," She murmured to herself.

Ty Lee sat quietly, stifling yelps when Azula squeezed her hand so hard it felt like her bones might shatter. She would've let Azula hold her hand forever if it helped her make progress.

Fourteen months after the release, Azula was making larger strides. Ty Lee would take her on walks down the long corridors of the palace, through courtyard after courtyard, weaving through gardens and between fountains and past trees and bushes of all sorts. At first Azula hated these walks. “I feel like a pet being dragged out on a leash,” She had growled.

Ty Lee learned to ignore it, she learned quickly to keep the mask on at all times. Her grin never faltered, her eyes always shined bright and hopeful. “But it’s so pretty outside! Look at the cherry blossoms, I think they’re gonna bloom soon!”

Azula was unimpressed. “Who cares? I’d burn them to ashes in seconds if I could.”

Ty Lee gave her a look that told Azula that she was on thin ice. The princess cleared her throat and started again, trying to remember everything her therapist had told her to think through when violent thoughts plagued her mind. “I mean, the cherry blossom trees are a pretty color.” She paused. “I don’t want to burn them because...because that would be a bad thing.”

Ty Lee nodded in approval, but it hurt her heart to see Azula like that. She had always been someone Ty Lee had looked up to; she was so strong and so confident in everything she did, even if she did have some violent tendencies. Seeing Azula speaking about a cherry blossom tree like a child was so strange. It wasn’t the Azula she’d grown up with, but she tried to remember how far Azula had come since her release. She wasn’t perfect, but she was improving every day. This was an improvement.

Twenty months after her release, Azula was slowly becoming herself again. Well, more like a (slightly) morally better version of her old self. She was nowhere near perfect, plenty of her old toxic traits remained, but she almost acted like a normal person. She was improving so much that she was ready to be taken out in public. For the first time since that dreaded Agni Kai, Azula was stable enough to go out. It was still a slow moving process, and she didn’t stay out long, but her walks with Ty Lee started venturing further into the town instead of the palace courtyards.

Azula was hesitant to begin with, but she held her tongue and didn’t complain (most of the time). Ty Lee was quite impressed with how much she’d improved, and she made sure she told Azula that.

The outings went smoothly until one small incident with a cabbage merchant and a blue fireball, but Ty Lee quickly sorted out the problem and immediately took Azula home. She went out to the shops less often after that, but they made sure she continued seeing people.

One day she’d asked Ty Lee to play Pai Sho with her. Ty Lee had been taken aback that Azula would ever want to play  _ that _ game, and more so that she had willingly asked to play it. Even so, Ty Lee didn’t refuse. She asked an attendant to fetch a Pai Sho board and they played the entire afternoon. Azula asked a lot of questions about rules and loopholes, but ultimately lost to Ty Lee (who had become quite good as a result of those Kyoshi game nights).

“I let you win,” Azula stated smugly, crossing her arms.

Ty Lee knew she was lying, but she nodded and smiled anyway.

\------------------------------

The drunk acrobat massaged her temple slowly with her fingers. The alcohol was making it harder and harder to think, so she gave up on it. What was the use reminiscing anyway? It only hurt her to think about all the time she invested in Azula, to remember how much time she took off from the Kyoshi Warriors to help with Azula’s rehabilitation.

So she blocked it out by downing two more shots, each one sending another round of fire down her throat.

Azula didn’t show up, and she understood why. She knew Azula had made a lot of progress, but she wasn’t ready for something like a party yet. She knew why she wasn’t there, and it made sense. She had been aware of Azula’s condition long before she sent out the invitations.

If that was so, then why did it hurt so damn bad that Azula wasn’t here?

Ty Lee knew why. She didn’t want to accept it, but she knew why.

When Azula had first been released, those old feelings of terror flooded back into her system. They stayed with her for months, but she worked through them for Azula’s sake. She worked hard and talked through her betrayal with Azula and eventually Azula allowed them to make amends. Ty Lee had been so grateful to regain a friendship (if one could call it that).

At the same time, she felt other feelings resurface. She felt the unmistakable pounding in her chest when she had to change Azula’s wrist bindings. She felt it when she pinned Azula down, yelling for the other nurses to give her something to sedate her as she screamed and kicked on the floor. She felt it when she took Azula on courtyard walks, and when she checked Azula for signs of physical harm.

Those old feelings that she thought she’d grown out of had never left. She remembered the way she felt that night on the beach with Mai and Zuko as she stared up at Azula, who finally opened up about her mother. She remembered the moments in Ba Sing Se when the three of them (sans Zuko) took off their Kyoshi makeup at night in preparation for bed. She remembered how terrifyingly beautiful Azula was in her Earth Kingdom robe, scaring the piss out of the Dai Li agents.

It all flooded back when she started volunteering to help with Azula’s rehabilitation. Deep down Ty Lee figured she had volunteered partially because of her feelings, knowing she still wanted something to come of it even if it was extremely unrealistic.

Ty Lee was still utterly and hopelessly infatuated with Azula.

“Poison,” she repeated slowly. At this point her fingers felt tingly and the room spun so fast she couldn’t see straight at all.

Every person in the room had been reduced to a blur of colors. The music suddenly sounded too loud, it hurt her skull and made her stomach swirl. She hiccuped loudly before letting her head fall on the table with an audible smack.

Ty Lee didn’t know how long she layed like that. It could’ve been hours for all she knew, but it really wasn’t longer than twenty minutes. Eventually the deafening music faded into quiet background noise, lulling her into the inevitable coma she was on a path towards. She closed her eyes, relieved that the world wasn’t spinning anymore.

Suddenly she felt her body being lifted up. Whoever was trying to lift her was clearly strong enough, but seemed to be having trouble for some unidentifiable reason. Ty Lee slid her fingers up the stranger’s arm, barely registering the toned muscle underneath soft skin.

The stranger was talking to her, but Ty Lee was so blasted she couldn’t comprehend the source. The words sounded muffled and distorted. “Ty Lee, what happened? Can you hear me? Ty Lee, can you hear me?”

The acrobat giggled as the stranger lifted her into their arms bridal-style. “Well now, that’s a bold move from a stranger,” She slurred. She was vaguely aware that her own breath reeked of alcohol and she just breathed it all into the stranger’s face, but she was too far gone to  _ really  _ care.

The stranger wordlessly carried Ty Lee into one of the back bedrooms of the cabin. The cabin Zuko rented certainly was spacious; the word cabin didn’t accurately describe it at all. It had several back hallways that connected to multiple side rooms, including a couple of bedrooms. As Ty Lee was carried through one such hallway, she heard the unmistakable sounds of, well, intimacy. Even in her drunken state, she could recognize what sex sounded like. All inhibitions gone, she shouted, “Hey, somebody’s having a good time back there! Keep it up!”

Her words were jumbled but the passion was clearly there. Ty Lee snuggled closer to the stranger’s chest and sighed, her mind now occupied with fluffy, affectionate activities. “Do you like making out, mysterious stranger? I do. It’s so nice and lips are so soft and warm and…”

Ty Lee felt the stranger stop to open a door as she rambled on about kissing (amongst other things). Her eyes were still closed so she had no clue where she was in the cabin. However, the cloudy haze in her mind lifted just long enough for her to figure it out when she felt the stranger carefully set her down on a bed. The sheets were cool and refreshing to her flushed skin. The brunette let all thoughts drift away as the stranger pulled the sheets over her body and tucked her in carefully. She barely recognized the quiet footsteps leaving the room as she pulled the covers closer to her chest.

Ty Lee was just starting to drift off to sleep when she felt a hand on the back of her head, sitting her upright. “Drink,” She heard the distant, echoing voice whisper.

The drunk brunette opened her mouth and felt the rough clay chalice brush against her bottom lip. She hastily chugged the contents of the cup, and immediately knew that was a big mistake. Her hand shot up over her mouth as she felt hot liquids shooting back up her throat. She barely managed to lean over the side of the bed before she vomited all over the floor.

Trembling from the force of the action, Ty Lee coughed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She cleared her throat and then leaned back to lie down in bed again, eyes still shut tight. She heard the stranger step closer, hopefully avoiding the pool of vomit on the floor. “Slower this time,” The stranger instructed as they held the newly filled chalice to Ty Lee’s lips once again.

Something about expelling that poison from her body made Ty Lee feel slightly better. Her mind was still foggy but the nausea was gone, so she followed the stranger’s instructions and slowly sipped from the cup.

Ty Lee decided to test her vision again. She cracked open an eye warily. The room wasn’t really spinning anymore, so that was good news. Her eyes moved slowly around the room. It was a small bedroom, one window facing the rocky cliffs nearby. Minimal furniture gave it the illusion of being larger than it was; there was a wooden chair in one corner, a small chest in the other, the bed she was sleeping on, and a small table beside the bed. The moon shone brightly through the window, casting beams across the floor.

As Ty Lee looked over at the doorway, she recognized the stranger. It was Azula. The princess was wearing modest royal clothes, hands awkwardly clutching the chalice to her chest. Ty Lee squinted, certain that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

No, it was Azula.

She leaned upright on her elbow, her features showing dazed astonishment. “Azula?”

Azula walked over and set the chalice down on the bedside table and stood stiffly beside the bed staring down at the acrobat. “Yes, it’s me.”

Ty Lee managed a faint smile. “You...you came,” She slurred.

Azula fiddled with the hem of her garment. “I wanted to stop in and say happy birthday, I didn’t plan on staying.” She was clearly trying too hard to act casual; her tone was almost authoritative but her body language radiated discomfort.

Ty Lee couldn’t hold back a giggle. She was a very giggly drunk. “Thank you, s’much appreciated.”

Azula nodded, shooting a concerned glance towards the door at a particularly raucous noise that echoed down the hall from the main room. “You certainly invited a lot of people to this party, Ty Lee.”

“Well yeah. Got a lot of friends. Like  _ so  _ many.”

The princess grimaced. “Yes I’m aware of that.” A pause. “Exactly how drunk  _ are _ you?”

  
Ty Lee rolled towards the edge of the bed and stretched out her arms as far as they would go, giggling uncontrollably. “ _ So _ drunk, princess.”

Azula rolled her eyes. “You represent the elite of the Fire Nation, Ty Lee. Pull yourself together.”

Ty Lee tried to roll her eyes to mock Azula, but she failed miserably. “Too drunk to care.” A sudden shiver went down her spine. “Cold.”

Azula hadn’t noticed the breeze from the open window until Ty Lee mentioned it. Firebenders had the natural gift of self regulating their own body temperatures, so drafty rooms were never a problem for her. She looked over at the window, watching the breeze move the curtains back and forth. “Do you want me to close it for you?”

Ty Lee grabbed Azula’s wrist. “Stay with me.”

Azula stiffened at the sudden contact, but she didn’t move from the bedside. “Fine, I’ll stay.”

Ty Lee squinted at her and waved her free hand around carelessly. “No, I mean...stay, like here.”

Azula had no clue what Ty Lee was talking about, so she waited for the acrobat to produce a better explanation. She watched her curiously.

Ty Lee pointed at Azula and then at the space beside her in bed. “Stay...sleep here. Sleep with me.”

Azula felt tingles run down her spine, but she ignored the feeling. She sighed loudly and walked around to the other side of the bed. She slipped off her shoes and crawled onto the bed, choosing to stay above the covers. Going underneath felt...dirty, somehow. She laid her head down beside Ty Lee’s, curled on her side.

“Okay, I’m here. What now?”

Ty Lee rolled over to face her friend. Azula became acutely aware of how close they were, but tried to push the thought out of her head. Ty Lee stretched, letting out a small groan. For some reason Azula felt the need to look away.

Ty Lee smacked her lips groggily. “Hm?”

Great. Ty Lee was  _ so _ far gone. Azula sighed and repeated her question. “What now?”

Ty Lee’s eyes glazed over as she stared at the ceiling, saying nothing for a few moments. For a second Azula was concerned that her friend’s body had just completely given out from alcohol poisoning. Finally, she spoke.

“I kinda wanna kiss you.”

Azula sat upright. “What?” Her face grew unbearably hot, which was a new sensation for her. Was this what it felt like when Zuko got burned?

Ty Lee’s gaze rested on Azula. Even while intoxicated, Ty Lee couldn’t help but admire how the princess looked so beautiful in the dim moonlight. The loose strands of hair framing her face stirred with the light breeze. Her golden eyes shimmered. Her royal garments, the ones that had been so perfectly pressed, were now rumpled from climbing into the bed. She was stunning and didn’t even know it.

“What?” Azula whispered, taken aback.

“You’re stunning and you don’t even know it.” Ty Lee whispered back, not fully understanding that she had spoken those words unconsciously the first time.

Azula’s cheeks burned at the compliment, but she swallowed and tried to get a hold of herself. This was wrong. She forced out a cocky chuckle. “Of course I’m stunning.”

Ty Lee tried to sit up but felt herself swaying unsteadily so she reached out and placed a hand on Azula’s shoulder. Azula didn’t move, she hardly dared to breathe. This was so strange and she knew it was wrong but she was so completely captivated by the moment that her body felt frozen in place.

The drunk acrobat had been fixated on kissing all night. The idea had darted in and out of her thoughts since the first shot of fire juice except, until now, she hadn’t had any particular person in mind.

Now that person was sitting in front of her, lips slightly parted and eyes wide.

Ty Lee’s other hand reached out to rest on Azula’s thigh. She leaned in, her face moving slowly toward Azula’s.

Azula could smell the alcohol on Ty Lee’s breath but she didn’t flinch. She waited, breathlessly, as Ty Lee’s lips moved closer and closer.

She stopped, and Azula was able to breathe again. Ty Lee’s face was only an inch away, hovering, waiting for something. Azula lifted an eyebrow, not saying a word.

Then Ty Lee spoke. Her words slurred together but Azula got the message loud and clear. Azula could hear her desire, her sheer desperation to do something so intimate with the princess.

“I wanna...I wanna mess up your lipstick so bad.”

And just like that, Ty Lee closed the distance between them. Her lips gently connected with Azula’s, who hesitantly leaned further in. She knew she was kissing Ty Lee back, but that was the only thought that passed through her mind before they all melted away. Her heart pounded when she felt Ty Lee’s hand slide up her thigh slowly. Azula kept reminding herself to breathe. She was a firebender after all, and firebenders were known for excellent breath control. She couldn’t let her nation down.

Ty Lee was in heaven. No party, no raunchy teen shenanigans could ever compare to  _ this _ . Her mind was fuzzy and her lips tingled and she could feel her own pulse pounding in her fingertips as they explored Azula’s clothed thigh. The acrobat had never felt such pure, drunken bliss before. She let out a soft moan as Azula’s left hand reached up and entangled itself in Ty Lee’s loose ponytail. Azula’s nails brushed against her scalp and suddenly Ty Lee couldn’t imagine a better sensation.

Azula tried hard to stay focused, but she was fighting a losing battle to stay conscious of her surroundings. Ty Lee’s hand on her thigh was simultaneously confusing and exhilarating, and her breath hitched each time the acrobat sighed and moaned at her touch. Ty Lee’s soft, warm lips on hers proved to be too difficult a challenge, and her thoughts drifted off into the night.

The only noises to be heard were Ty Lee’s quiet moans, Azula’s heavy, concentrated breathing, and the occasional yelp from down the hall. The party raged on in the other room, completely oblivious of what was happening in that tiny bedroom.


End file.
